Jours de la semaine means days of the week in French, and thankfully, this is one of the friendlier beginner topics. No sneaky silent letters trying to ruin your confidence too badly. Just seven useful words you will hear all the time in real life: at school, at work, while making plans, and when somebody asks when you are free and you suddenly forget every language you have ever known.
In this guide, you will learn all seven days of the week in French, how to pronounce them, how to use them in natural sentences, and a few grammar rules that beginners really need. By the end, you should be able to say things like “on Monday,” “see you Friday,” and “I work on Saturdays” without sounding like a panicked tourist pointing at a calendar.
One very useful thing to know right away: in French, days of the week are not capitalized unless they start a sentence. So it is lundi, not Lundi. French loves being a little different for absolutely no reason that helps beginners.
The 7 Days of the Week in French
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentence | Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lundi | lun-dee | Monday | Lundi, j’ai un cours de français. | On Monday, I have a French class. | Usually no capital letter in French. |
| mardi | mar-dee | Tuesday | Nous partons mardi matin. | We are leaving Tuesday morning. | The final -di sounds like “dee.” |
| mercredi | mehr-cruh-dee | Wednesday | Le magasin ferme mercredi. | The shop closes on Wednesday. | Longer word, but very common. |
| jeudi | zhuh-dee | Thursday | On se voit jeudi ? | Shall we see each other on Thursday? | j sounds like the “s” in “measure.” |
| vendredi | vahn-druh-dee | Friday | Je travaille jusqu’à vendredi. | I work until Friday. | The first syllable is more nasal than in English. |
| samedi | sam-dee | Saturday | Nous sortons samedi soir. | We are going out on Saturday evening. | Easy one. A rare little gift. |
| dimanche | dee-mahnsh | Sunday | Le restaurant est fermé le dimanche. | The restaurant is closed on Sundays. | The ending sounds like “sh,” not “ch.” |
How To Say the Days Naturally
Learning the words alone is useful, but what you really need is how they behave in normal French sentences. French often uses the day name without a preposition when talking about a specific day.
- Je pars lundi. = I’m leaving on Monday.
- On se voit mardi ? = Shall we meet on Tuesday?
- Le cours est mercredi. = The class is on Wednesday.
Notice there is no separate word for “on” there. English says on Monday. French often just says lundi.
In French, a day by itself often already means “on that day.”
Using Le With Days of the Week
This is one of the most important beginner rules.
When you use le before a day of the week, it usually means every that day.
| Pattern | Meaning | French Example | English Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lundi | on Monday | Je pars lundi. | I’m leaving on Monday. | One specific Monday, or the next Monday depending on context. |
| le lundi | on Mondays / every Monday | Je travaille le lundi. | I work on Mondays. | Le gives the idea of routine. |
| le samedi | on Saturdays / every Saturday | On fait les courses le samedi. | We do the shopping on Saturdays. | Very common pattern in everyday speech. |
| le dimanche | on Sundays / every Sunday | Ils déjeunent en famille le dimanche. | They have lunch with family on Sundays. | Common in habits and routines. |
So:
- Je viens vendredi. = I’m coming on Friday.
- Je viens le vendredi. = I come on Fridays.
Small word, big difference. French does this a lot, because apparently clarity should require just a tiny bit of suffering.
Useful Phrases With Days of the Week
| French | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentence | Translation | Learner Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aujourd’hui | oh-zhoor-dwee | today | Aujourd’hui, c’est lundi. | Today is Monday. | Very common with dates and schedules. |
| demain | duh-man | tomorrow | On part demain, mardi. | We’re leaving tomorrow, Tuesday. | Nasal sound in main. |
| hier | ee-air | yesterday | Hier, c’était jeudi. | Yesterday was Thursday. | Useful for talking about the recent past. |
| ce lundi | suh lun-dee | this Monday | J’ai un rendez-vous ce lundi. | I have an appointment this Monday. | Ce means “this.” |
| lundi prochain | lun-dee pro-shan | next Monday | Le cours commence lundi prochain. | The class starts next Monday. | prochain = next. |
| vendredi dernier | vahn-druh-dee dehr-nee-ay | last Friday | Je l’ai vu vendredi dernier. | I saw him last Friday. | dernier = last. |
| en semaine | ahn suh-men | on weekdays / during the week | Je travaille en semaine. | I work on weekdays. | Not one specific day, but very practical. |
| le week-end | luh week-end | the weekend | On se repose le week-end. | We rest on the weekend. | French borrowed this from English. |
| en début de semaine | ahn day-boo duh suh-men | at the beginning of the week | J’ai beaucoup de travail en début de semaine. | I have a lot of work at the beginning of the week. | Useful in office and school contexts. |
| en fin de semaine | ahn fan duh suh-men | at the end of the week | Nous partons en fin de semaine. | We’re leaving at the end of the week. | In Quebec French, this can also mean “weekend.” |
| quel jour ? | kel zhoor | what day? | Quel jour sommes-nous ? | What day is it? | Useful in questions about date and schedule. |
| à lundi | ah lun-dee | see you Monday | Merci, à lundi ! | Thanks, see you Monday! | Very natural sign-off. |
Example Sentences for Each Day
Here are some extra natural sentences so the days stop feeling like isolated flashcards and start feeling like actual language.
- Lundi, je commence à neuf heures. = On Monday, I start at nine o’clock.
- Mardi, nous avons une réunion. = On Tuesday, we have a meeting.
- Mercredi, les enfants n’ont pas école l’après-midi. = On Wednesday, the children do not have school in the afternoon.
- Jeudi, il va pleuvoir. = On Thursday, it is going to rain.
- Vendredi, on sort avec des amis. = On Friday, we go out with friends.
- Samedi, je fais le ménage. = On Saturday, I do the cleaning.
- Dimanche, on se détend. = On Sunday, we relax.
Notice how French often starts a sentence with the day name followed by a comma. Very normal. Very useful. Very worth copying.
Common Beginner Grammar Rules
1. Days Are Masculine
All days of the week in French are masculine. That is why you use le lundi, le mardi, and so on.
- le lundi = Monday / on Mondays
- un lundi = a Monday
2. No Capital Letters for Normal Use
English writes Monday. French writes lundi. Same for months too. If you want help with those, the guide to months in French pairs nicely with this one.
3. Singular and Plural Meaning Depends on Context
French often keeps the day word in the singular even when English uses the plural.
- Je travaille le lundi. = I work on Mondays.
- Le magasin est fermé le dimanche. = The shop is closed on Sundays.
That singular form after le is perfectly normal.
4. French Often Skips “On”
English needs on Monday. French often just says lundi.
- On arrive mardi. = We arrive on Tuesday.
- Not: sur mardi or anything strange like that.
Pronunciation Tips That Actually Help
You do not need a full phonetics degree for this topic. Just keep these practical notes in mind:
- -di at the end of lundi, mardi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi sounds roughly like dee.
- jeudi starts with the soft French j sound, like the s in “measure.”
- mercredi is often pronounced quickly by native speakers, almost like mehr-cr’di in casual speech.
- vendredi has a nasal first syllable. Do not force a heavy English van.
- dimanche ends with -anche, pronounced like ahnsh.
If you struggle with pronunciation, say the days in order slowly first, then faster: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. It almost feels rhythmic after a few tries, which is nice because French pronunciation is not always in a generous mood.
France French and Quebec French Notes
The day names themselves are the same in France French and Quebec French: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche.
One small difference worth knowing is the phrase en fin de semaine. In France, it usually means at the end of the week. In Quebec, it can also mean weekend. Context matters, as usual.
Common Mistakes and Easy Fixes
| Mistake | Correct French | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lundi with a capital letter in the middle of a sentence | lundi | French days are not normally capitalized. |
| Je vais partir on lundi | Je vais partir lundi | French usually does not need a word for “on” here. |
| Je travaille lundi when you mean every Monday | Je travaille le lundi | Le shows a repeated habit. |
| dimanché or other invented spellings | dimanche | French spelling is specific. Inventing accents does not help. |
| le lundis | le lundi | After le for routine meaning, the singular form is normal. |
Mini Practice Section
Try these quick drills before looking back.
Translate Into English
- On se voit jeudi.
- Je travaille le samedi.
- Le restaurant est fermé le dimanche.
- À lundi !
Translate Into French
- We are leaving on Tuesday.
- I study French on Wednesdays.
- See you Friday.
- Today is Monday.
Suggested Answers
- We’ll see each other on Thursday.
- I work on Saturdays.
- The restaurant is closed on Sundays.
- See you Monday!
- Nous partons mardi.
- J’étudie le français le mercredi.
- À vendredi !
- Aujourd’hui, c’est lundi.
Quick Reference Summary
- lundi = Monday
- mardi = Tuesday
- mercredi = Wednesday
- jeudi = Thursday
- vendredi = Friday
- samedi = Saturday
- dimanche = Sunday
- No capital letters in normal French use.
- lundi = on Monday
- le lundi = on Mondays / every Monday
- Days of the week are masculine.
- French often does not use a separate word for English “on.”
Keep Practicing the Basics
If you want to keep building your beginner French, you can explore more lessons in Learn French, review the full topic again in days of the week in French, and pair it with months in French so you can actually talk about dates like a functional adult.
If you want to check your level, try the French placement test CEFR or brush up with the French vocabulary test.
Yak Takeaway: learn the seven day names, remember that le + day usually means a regular habit, and do not capitalize them like English. Once that clicks, your calendar French gets a lot less scary and a lot more useful.
